Are Teslas The Barricade of a New Revolution?

Have a seat, dear friends, as we look at a moment in history. The barricades of the French Revolution and subsequent uprisings were powerful symbols of popular resistance, defiance, and the struggle for a more just society. They represented the collective will of the people to take control of their own destiny, even in the face of overwhelming force. While not always militarily successful, their symbolic power resonated throughout French history and continues to inspire movements for social change around the world. The image of the barricade remains a potent reminder of the power of ordinary people to challenge oppression and fight for their freedom.

Symbols are important more for their representational value than strategic or militaristic. Symbols provide a rallying point, a visual representation of emotions and feelings, and a strong statement to the opposition that their actions are no longer tolerated. Certainly, the barricades of France were not legal. Many people died on those barricades at the hands of a well-armed military. Yet, they were just as critical to the overthrow of the monarchy as any other tactic.

Today, America finds itself trying to fight off the actions of a gross, incompetent, shit-stained wanna-be dictator. Playing the role of Cardinal Richelieu to Felonious Punk’s Louis XIII is Leroy Muskrat, a ‘chief minister’ of sorts, undermining the status quo in an effort to consolidate power under the titular head of state. Like Richelieu, Muskrat is a rich guy with his hands in and on all kinds of things that give even ‘noblemen,’ aka rich folks, a reason to hate him.

For Muskrat, however, people have a relatively easy target to express their feelings toward the apartheid nepo baby: the Tesla electric car company. People all over the world have begun using the car company as a means of expressing their anger both toward Muskrat’s involvement as well as Punk’s slash-and-burn policies.

Now, let us be very clear about one thing: at no point in this conversation is our intention to recommend or insinuate that anyone does anything illegal. We’re going to talk about things that have already happened and the impact they have had. Any decision one might make to emulate these activities is on themselves. Got it? Don’t come back here saying that we told you to do anything.

We can’t deny, however, that a lot has been happening with the car company and none of it is good. Just today, a recall was issued on practically every Cybertruck that the company has ever built. This time, the problem is with the stainless steel paneling coming off. There have been plenty of other problems with Tesla vehicles as well. They catch fire so often that there’s even a website dedicated to attempting to keep track of these disasters. The company has done plenty to tank its reputation without anyone else doing a damn thing.

The vehicles, however, and especially the Cybertruck whose design no one in their right mind likes, have become a symbol of a new revolution, a resistance not only against Muskrat but by extension, Punk and all his policies. The outrage is growing, not yet to a fever pitch necessarily, but enough that it’s getting everyone’s attention.

For example, a fire broke out at a Tesla storage lot in Seattle, burning four Cybertrucks. According to the Seattle Fire Department (SFD), the blaze started around 11 p.m. at a facility on 4th Avenue South near South Spokane Street. Firefighters worked quickly to contain the flames, bringing the situation under control by 1 a.m. and preventing further damage. That’s one instance. By itself, it wouldn’t warrant much undue attention. However…

A dozen Tesla vehicles burned at a store in Toulouse, France. Firefighters arrived on the scene at around 4 a.m. and contained the fire to the vehicles. Eight of them were completely destroyed, and four were greatly damaged. The damages are estimated at over 700,000 euros. See, this isn’t just a US thing. The resistance is broad.

In Tigard, Oregon, where “more than a dozen” shots were fired at a Tesla dealership, according to Kelsey Anderson, the public information officer at the Tigard Police Department. This was the second time within two weeks that the dealership was vandalized.

 Three Teslas were vandalized in Dedham, Massachusetts on Tuesday, according to the Dedham Police Department. Officials said “words had been spray-painted” on two Tesla Cyber-trucks, with all four tires of the trucks and a Tesla Model S being “reportedly damaged.”

Six Teslas were also vandalized at a Tesla dealership in Lynnwood, Washington, with one black Tesla Cybertruck graffitied with swastikas, according to the Lynnwood Police Department.

On March 2, another Tesla dealership was spray-painted in Owings Mills, Maryland, where “NO MUSK” was written in red spray paint on the windows, followed by a symbol police originally thought was antisemitic. “The graffiti was instead used against Elon Musk, and the graffiti was an ‘X’ inside of a circle, which we assume is for Twitter, which Musk owns,” Detective Anthony Shelton said in an interview.

Another incendiary event occurred in Colorado, where a woman was arrested on Feb. 27 after police caught her with explosives at a Tesla dealership, according to the Loveland Police Department. Lucy Grace Nelson, 40, was arrested after police launched an investigation following a series of vandalizations at the Tesla dealership, police said.

Are we done? Nope, not yet. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are now working with the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department to investigate the Cybertruck fires at a Tesla dealership. Police said an officer spotted a Cybertruck on fire at the Tesla dealership shortly before midnight. The fire spread to a second Cybertruck before Kansas City firefighters could put it out.

The same night as the KC fire, Molotov cocktails were used to set fire to the Tesla service center in Las Vegas. Three people have been arrested by the FBI in response to that blaze that possibly did the highest dollar amount of damage of any of the fires.

Police in the Toronto suburb of Hamilton are investigating a “series of mischiefs” after dozens of Tesla vehicles were damaged at a local dealership. According to police, officers were called to a Tesla dealership for a report of damage to some of the store’s inventory. Police arrived to discover that “upwards of 80” Tesla vehicles parked outside had sustained damage, including deep scratches and punctured tires.

These are only the major accounts of vandalism in the past two months. Tesla chargers have been set on fire in multiple locations and individual vehicle owners have complained of everything from people yelling at them to vehicles being spray painted and rocks thrown.

Tesla stock has lost over half its value in recent weeks, which prompted President Punk to turn the White House Lawn into a car dealership while he purchased a vehicle he’ll never, legally, be able to drive (Presidents don’t get to drive themselves, even after leaving office). When Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick used a TV appearance to urge Americans to buy stock in Muskrat’s car company, the stock fell even more the next morning.

Are we laughing? Yes, we’re laughing. Again, we don’t necessarily encourage this type of behavior, but damnit, it’s working and Tesla’s doing most of the legwork themselves. Just yesterday, seven people were injured and later taken to hospital after a Tesla plowed into the pavement of a busy London street before hitting a lamppost. One can easily make the argument that the vehicles are a persistent danger to everyone who dares get near one!

This morning, the fallout became serious. Ross Gerber, an early investor in Tesla, told Sky News that Muskrat has lost his focus and that he’s now too “divisive,” pointing to Muskrat’s leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency. Muskrat’s slashing of federal agencies has prompted outrage and protests against Tesla, with owners being urged to sell their vehicles. “I think Tesla needs a new CEO, and I decided today I was going to start saying it, and so this is the first show that I’m saying it on,” Gerber told Sky.

Can, should, Tesla become the symbol for the resistance of Muskrat and Punk? Is this something that has the potential to build a cohesive coalition strong enough to take on the powerplay the White House is pushing on the country?

Actions against Tesla vehicles match some of the qualifications for being a barricade-type symbol. The actions are spontaneous. There’s no one ‘type’ person who is committing these acts of violence. This demonstrates the power of the people to rise up against oppression without needing centralized leadership or formal organization (at least initially).

By damaging Teslas, the people physically claim control of their neighborhoods and streets, transforming urban spaces into zones of resistance against the authorities. This disrupts the normal flow of power and challenges the state’s monopoly on the use of force.

The burned-out Tesla is becoming a powerful visual symbol of revolution, instantly recognizable and easily replicated. Images of damaged vehicles have taken over social media, cementing their place in the revolutionary imagination.

So, in a sense, Teslas are the new barricade, the line at which revolutionaries fed up with Muskrat and Punk are expressing their emotion against the government and its insane action. The question now is whether those actions will grow. If they do grow, one should probably worry how the White House will respond. DOJ’s Resident Barbie has repeatedly said that she considers acts against Tesla to be domestic terrorism. However, to date, no one has been charged with anything other than arson. There are a lot of words coming out of Washington, but few of them have any real power.

We also have to realize that this anti-Punk/Muskrat movement is larger than the US. Germany is already in the act of closing all its Tesla dealerships. People in France and Canada have already inflicted more damage than those in the US. If Teslas are a symbol of a new resistance, it’s significantly larger than US borders.

People are looking for a way to push back at a bully. We’ve seen numerous public forums interrupted and even canceled as constituents have shouted obscenities and in some cases made threats against members of Congress. That may be a short-lived tactic though, as fewer politicians are risking being seen out in public at all. They’re not going on vacations. They’re not going out to dinner. They’re scared, which is good, but they’re hiding, which doesn’t help anyone.

What we do know is that every movement needs its barricade symbol in order to be effective. There has to be a visual act that represents the emotion and fire that people are feeling. That symbol often is not legal, so it has to be up to individuals to decide whether to participate. Not everyone will. Not everyone should.

But there must be something or else we all fall under the weight of an authoritative dictator.